The Newton County Sheriff’s Office announced  it has been awarded a $26,250.40 traffic enforcement grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety in Atlanta (GOHS).

The Sheriff’s Office received the grant in recognition of its lifesaving work as the coordinating agency of GOHS’s Central Region Traffic Enforcement Network. The network is one of 16 across the state that helps enforce Georgia’s year-round seat belt, speed, and impaired driving campaigns.

“This is our way of supporting the Newton County Sheriff’s Office through its continued leadership via Coordinator Corporal Patrick Gilbert and the Central Region Traffic Enforcement Network,” said Roger Hayes, GOHS director of law enforcement services. “This grant will ensure that efforts to protect the public from drunk, distracted, and other dangerous driving behaviors continue, while also recognizing network leadership and law enforcement agencies in this region for their dedication and hard work to reduce crashes, injuries, and eliminate traffic deaths on our roads.”

The Central Region Traffic Enforcement Network includes law enforcement agencies in nine counties: Baldwin, Greene, Jasper, Jones, Morgan, Newton, Putnam, Rockdale, and Walton.

“We are honored to receive this grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, which will empower us to continue enhancing roadway safety across our region,” said Sheriff Ezell Brown. “Through the combined efforts of the Central Region Traffic Enforcement Network and dedicated agencies in our community, we remain committed to preventing crashes, injuries, and fatalities, making our roads safer for all.”

The network’s coordinator will oversee year-round waves of high-visibility patrols, multi-jurisdictional roadchecks, and sobriety checkpoints, partnering in campaigns such as Click It or Ticket, Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over, 100 Days of Summer HEAT, and Operation Southern Slow Down.

For more information on the grant program, call 404-656-6996 or visit gahighwaysafety.org.